Hacker group Anonymous, known for its cyber-attacks against controversial organisations and individuals has vowed “total war” on Donald Trump and threatened to “dismantle his campaign”.
A video posted by the group surfaced on social media in which they urge supporters of the hacktivist group to attack Trump’s campaign websites and conduct cyber-attacks on the Republican frontrunner.
“This is our call to protect our future, our freedom and our way of life. This is a call to you. We need you to shut down his websites. Research and find out what he does not want the world to know,” a voice behind the video said.
The group had already threatened war on Trump last year, following his controversial remarks about banning Muslims from entering the US. The campaign conducted cyber-attacks on various websites and took them down for a few hours, but caused no lasting damage.
Anonymous also claimed credit for hacking into Trump’s voicemail and apparently leaking messages from journalists and supporters. The group claimed that its new attacks would aim to bring Trump’s campaign to an end.
“We are encouraging every able person with a computer to participate in this operation. This is not a warning, this is a declaration of total war. Donald Trump – it is too late to expect us,” the video continued.
Further, the group asserted that one does not need to know how to hack to be able to support this operation. It urges anyone who is able to upload the video to YouTube channel to do so, to enable the campaign to gain momentum.
The group posted a list of targets that should be taken down, which included corporate website trump.com and campaign site donaldjtrump.com. It intends to launch attacks on the sites on April 1, the group said.
The video was filmed in the usual style, showing a person with a Guy Fawkes mask and playing a computer-generated audio.
Trump has come under fire by many across the globe for his inconsistent and hateful campaign, instilling hate against Muslims. He called for barring all Muslims from entering the United States and has been increasingly virulent in his remarks targeting Muslim Americans since the deadly Paris attacks.
